Upright automatic player-piano.



L. W. SOUTHGATE. UPRIGHT AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO. APPLIOATIOI T FILED JAN. 25, 1912. 1,1 18,959. Patented Dec 1,1914

3 SHEETSSHEBT l.

MWJJM fimfar;

ewww my 41m 115 NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOm-LI THOH wAsmrvamN, n c

L. W, SOUTHGATE.

UPRIGHT AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 25,1912

1,1 18,959. Patented Dec. 1.1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

YIIIILZIL L. W. SOUTHGATB. UPRIGHT AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1912. 1,118,959, Patented Dec.1,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Wan/ed; W-

HE NORRIS PETERS co., PHOTO-LI'IHCL. WASH-Nu mm, a.

UNITED STATES PiTENT QEFICE.

LOUIS VT. SOUTHGATE, OF 'WORCESTER, I/IASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 VERONICA M. KOI-ILER, WILLIAM B. ELLISON, AND RICHARD VI. LAVTR-ENCE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., EXEGUTORS OF CHARLES KOI-ILER, DECEASED.

UPRIGI-IT AUTOMATIC PLAYER-PIANO.

Application filed January 25, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Lotus IV. SOUTH- earn, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVorcester, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Upright Automatic Player-Piano, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a detailed or modified arrangement of parts of the halfwidth upright automatic player piano shown, described, and claimed in an application for patent filed by me October 9, 1911, Serial No. 653,560. In said application is shown and described what I believe to be the first half-width automatic player piano. This instrument comprises a set of strings divided into sections arranged in difi erent planes, a set of action units arranged in sections out of line with each other but substantially within the same vertical compass, and suitable operating devices therefor. In the modification shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 5 of said application for patent the two sections of the strings are arranged adjacent to each other and facing to the front, and the two sections of the action units are arranged one over the other and a pneumatic operating mechanism divided into two sections is arranged to operate said two sections of action units. A single sounding board for such arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 and a double sounding board in Fig. 5 In said modification the shorter section of the strings is arranged in front of the longer section of strings and the top section of the action units is arranged to cooperate with said front section of the strings.

Substantially the same arrangement is shown in this application for patent, with the exception that the front section of strings is brought down to the bottom of the instrument so that the top section of the action units cooperates with the longer or bass section of the strings, and the lower section of the action units cooperates with the other section of the strings.

The invention also consists of certain further modifications and certain details of construction hereinafter particularized and specifically claimed.

Referring to the three sheets of drawings forming part of this application for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Serial No. 673,420.

patent, Figure l is a front elevation partly in section of the instrument. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation illustrating a slightly different arrangement of the sections of strings. Fig. 2 shows a slightly modified arrangement using a single sounding board, and Fig. 3 is an elevation on enlarged scale of the pneumatic mechanism.

Referring to the drawings and in detail, A designates a piano casing made substantially half the width of the casing of an ordinary piano.

B designates the main or longer string frame which in the construction under consideration is made to carry substantially half of the strings, and referably the longer or bass section E of the strings which can be arranged vertically or inclined and overstrung. The string frame is arranged on beams forming a frame C which fits into the rear of the piano casing. D designates a sounding board which is carried by said beams and with which the section E of the strings cooperates by means of the usual bridge or bridges F.

B designates a supplemental string frame which preferably is arranged to carry the shorter or treble section E of the strings.

D designates a supplemental sounding board arranged so that the treble strings E cooperate therewith by means of the usual bridge or bridges F.

The supplemental string frame B and the supplemental sounding board I) are secured to the frame C which carries the main string frame B. The supplemental string frame is arranged at the bottom, as illustrated. The sounding board D is shown as extending substantially the full height of the piano casing, but this is not necessary as it can be made of any desired height.

By the arrangement shown, the set of strings is divided into two sections arranged in different vertical planes facing toward the front and the complete set of strings will occupy approximately half of the width of the ordinary set of strings strung in substantially the same vertical plane. The only substantial difierence between the parts thus far described and the modification shown in Fig. 5 of my previous application is that the supplemental string frame B is arranged at a lower level.

GG designate the set of piano action units. This set of piano action units as shown is divided into two sections arranged one over the other, the upper section G being arranged to strike and operate the bass strings E, and the lower section G being arranged to strike and operate the treble strings E.

The string frames, the sounding boards, and any other desired parts, such as the action units, may all be secured to the frame work C which is so designed that it can be removed bodily from the piano casing. By making these parts separable from the piano casing, the action units and strings can be got at easily for the purpose of tuning or adjustment. The same efiect can be obtained by dividing the piano casing into two parts, as on the dotted line XX of Fig. 2, and

by arranging the two sections of the strings front of the casing A.

and the two sections of the action units on the rear part and the operating pneumatics on the front part of the casing.

HH designate a set of operating pneumatics for the piano action units, which set is arranged in two sections each section being arranged in two rows, the upper section H being arranged to operate the wippens of the upper section G of the action units, and the lower section H being arranged to oper-' ate the wippens of the lower section G of the action units. The pneumatics are arranged on arms extending out from a valve box I secured to which is a primary valve box I, this primary valve box being preferably made in two sections, as indicated. The pneumatics H are connected to levers 20 which carry small springs or flexible fingers set in position to engage the wippens of the section G of the action units, and the lower pneumatics are connected to levers 21 which carry springs or flexible fingers set in position to engage the wippens of the lower section G of the action units. Adjusting screws 25 having soft tips 26 may be arranged to limit the movement of the levers 20 and 21.

By this arrangement, it will be noticed that when the frame C is separated from the piano casing to expose the strings and the action units, the pneumatics are not disturbed, as the wippens of the action units can swing into and out of position over the levers 20 and 21.

J designates a box or frame secured to the Doors K are arranged in the piano casing, which doors are opened when the music roll isto be inserted and the instrument played,

and which doors are usually closed when the instrument is not to be played.

Arranged within the box J is a tracker L and j ournaled in the box is a take-up spool M. The usual set of bearings is arranged in the box so that a roll of music can be placed in position above the tracker, as shown, so that a perforated note sheet 0 can be drawn over the tracker L by the take-up spool M or rewound on the music spool after playing. If desired, an automatic tracking device P can be arranged at the left of the box J to keep the note-sheet during its travel automatically in proper position laterally on the tracker. The automatic tracking device can be operated from holes in the tracker in the ordinary way.

Q, designates a pneumatic motor which in the construction under consideration is arranged above the box J and which motor is connected by sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain to operate the gearing l.

R-R designate the operating treadles which are pivoted to a frame or bar 12,whicl;- frame is attached to the casing by links 13 pivoted to blocks so that the pedals can be swung up into the casing out of the way when the instrument is not in use, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A door S is arranged to slide in the front of the casing to cover or uncover the opening through which the pedals are swung out from and into the piano casing and suitable operating means may be provided for this door. Each pedal connects by a link 14 to a long arm 15 secured to operate one of a pair of feeders or bellows T-T. The feeders are arranged on a suitable wind-trunk U connected to which is a storer V. The windtrunk and feeders are arranged in front of the lower or treble section of the strings, as shown. The wind-trunk U connects by any of the usual regulators and passages W to the valve boxes and also by means of suitable connections, regulator and valve box X to the motor Q.

A support or ledge. Y is arranged at the front of the instrument to carry the operating buttons and levers by which the operation of the. instrument is controlled, these operating connections being arranged in any ordinary way to adjust and control the operation of the, mechanisms. A cover or fall board Z is arranged in connection with the ledge Y so that the operating levers and buttons can be covered up by swinging the fall board to closed position. The tubes coming from the perforations in the tracker L are divided into two sections, 18 and 19, the

bass section 18 being connected to operate the primary valves which control the operation of the upper section H of the pneumatics, and the treble section 19 being connected to operate the primary valves which control the operation of the lower section H of the pneumatics.

By these arrangements, a piano player of substantially half-width relatively to the set of strings is provided. For illustration, in the usual piano construction, a set of eightyeight strings is provided and this set in the construction shown will be divided nearly equally between the two string frames, or if the strings E of the bass section are to be over-strung, this proportion may be slightly varied; for illustration, there may be from forty to forty-two strings arranged in the bass section E and from forty-eight to forty-six in the treble section E.

As I use the term strings, I mean of course to employ the term in the ordinary sense used in piano practice, no matter whether each string is made up of one, two or three wires.

While the operating devices shown are pneumatically actuated, it is to be understood that so far as the broad scope of the invention is concerned, other operating instrumentalities may be employed such as electromagnets, revolving cylinders, etc., without departing from the broad scope of my invention, which consists in arranging the strings, action units and operating instrumentalities in a player piano in a manner substantially described so as to provide an instrument of substantially half-width.

In Fig. 2 a modification is shown in which the sounding boards D and D are arranged between the sections of the strings.

In Fig. 2* another modification is shown in which the bass section of the strings E is arranged at the rear of a single sounding board D and the treble section E is arranged at the front thereof.

any other modifications can be devised for practising my invention without departing from the scope thereof as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is 1. In an upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing in the same direction, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the longer section of the strings and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, and operating devices therefor.

2. An upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the longer section of the strings, and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, and operating devices therefor.

3. An upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the longer section of the strings and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, operating pneumatics therefor, and a wind-trunk and feeders arranged at the front of the strings.

4. An upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a sounding board or boards with which said strings cooperate, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the longer section of the strings and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, and operating devices therefor.

5. An upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a sounding board for the longer section of the strings, and a sounding board for the shorter section of the strings, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the longer section of the strings, and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, and operating devices therefor.

6. An upright player piano having a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, the shorter section being arranged at the bottom, a sounding board arranged between said sections of strings, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other so that the upper will cooperate with the lower section of the strings, and the lower with the shorter section of the strings, and operating devices therefor.

7. In an upright player piano, the combination of a piano casing, a set of strings divided into two sections, a set of action units divided into two sections, said strings and action units being carried on a frame or casing which can be separated from the front part of the piano casing, and operating devices for the action units arranged in the front part of the piano.

8. An upright player piano having a casing, a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing toward the front, a set of action units divided into two sections arranged one over the other, a frame or casing carrying said strings and action units, a set of operating pneumatics arranged in the piano casing, the parts being arranged so that the frame or casing can be drawn outwardly to expose the strings and action units.

9. An upright player piano having a casing, a set of strings divided into a longer section and a shorter section facing in the same direction, the shorter section being arthe lower with the shorter section of the strings, operating devices for the action units, in the piano casing, and a separable frame or casing carrying said strings and action units. r

10. An upright player piano having a casing, a set of strings divided into two sectidns, a set of action units divided into two sections, a separable frame or casing carrywitnesses.

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE. l/Vitnesses:

C. FO REST WESSON, ELIZABETH M. ALLEN.

9 m; 91 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

